TO PURIFY OR NOT TO

Not all air purifiers work the same! Make sure you know how these technologies work before buying the right purifier that suit your needs. Currently there are five most common types of air purifiers available in the market:

HEPA Technology

High Efficiency Particulate Air (HEPA) filter can trap at least 99.97% of all particles that are larger tan 0.3 microns. HEPA air purifier filters most air-borne particles such as chemicals, bacteria and viruses. Activated carbon based material is also added in the filter to absorb odours and chemicals.

Activated Carbon Technology

Originally used as water purifier, the molecular sized pores of the activated carbon filter were discovered to have high absorbent ability and chemical bonding. They are effective in absorbing pollutants such as chemical emissions, gases, smoke and odours.

Negative Ion

Negative ion air purifier attempts to clean the air with negative ion to magnetically attract airborne particles. But the purifier does not clean the air, instead these newly-formed particles attached themselves to the wall or other surfaces and get circulated into the air again when positive or negative charge become loose.

UV Technology

A UV air purifier is effective in killing viruses and bacteria through the use of UV rays. However, because of its inability to filter airborne particles, UV technology is often used together with a filter system such as HEPA or activated carbon.

Ozone

An ozone air purifier produces gas ozone to control air pollution. However, ozone does not remove particles and most purifiers include negative ion technology to mask the air. There has yet to be studies confirming that ozone air purifier is safe and effective in indoor air cleaning.

Knowing the technologies may not give you enough reason to buy one and in fact many people use air purifiers only during hazy conditions. But clean air is essential for every day living because environmental pollutants create free radicals and are harmful to your health. Think you are in a clean environment? Look around. The gases emitted from motorcars, industrials, smoking and someone coughing down the next house etc are lurking in every household. Remember, the health of your family is in your hands.

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